While it’s hard to pinpoint when and where it began, one thing is clear — students at San Clemente’s elementary and middle schools can’t get enough of the small glass balls.

For Slam Sports owner Dagmar Foy, the new fascination isn’t a fortune-maker, but she said it’s doing a lot of good for the children who play, including her son Asher, 11.

“Marbles isn’t our gig … but I am very in tune with what is happening on the ground floor with the kids,” Foy said. “As a parent, the only place was at the Mission Viejo mall, and they have a little tiny display. We drove up there, and I thought, ‘I’m just gonna bring marbles to my store as a form of advertisement to bring kids in.’

“There’s no money in marbles,” Foy added. “I just think this is a really cool thing that is happening in San Clemente.”

Foy said she thinks San Clemente kids’ preoccupation with marbles began about two months ago at Las Palmas Elementary School, but she said she sees children come in her store at 69 Via Pico Plaza from almost every elementary and middle school in the city.

Every school day about 2:30 p.m., when classes let out, dozens of children pour into the store, trying to get the best marbles before their peers snatch them, Foy said.

One day this month, Bernice Ayer Middle School sixth-grader Ethan Muscariello, 11, was the first in and immediately made his way to the front counter and marveled at the store’s small but impressive marble selection.

“Oh, look, they have bumblebees,” he told his mother, Karen, the moment he laid eyes on the yellow-and-black marbles.

Ethan said he has more than 100 marbles and has used a lot of his own money to buy them.

“I like just how cool they look,” he said.

After Ethan browsed a bit, more children came in, and Foy and an employee had their hands full trying to add up how many marbles the children were buying and totaling the costs for them.

Foy said collecting marbles has taught a lot of kids how to use money and about the dreaded sales tax added to purchases.

Parents who were with their children taught them that there are limits to how much they can buy; many parents and kids negotiated over purchases.

Karen Muscariello said that on Friday nights, Ethan, his friends and family gather on the front yard to play marbles.

“It’s a nice community thing that doesn’t involve guns or video games,” she said.

Foy said she runs out of marbles within two days of receiving a shipment. She said even her supplier is running low on some marble models because of the craze.

SCHOOL RULES

Though the most popular place for many children to play is at school, the marble mania was short-lived at a few schools that banned the game.

Principal Kenny Moe said Shorecliffs Middle School allowed marbles at first, but it became a problem when kids started playing for keeps, meaning that whoever lost had to surrender some marbles. He said the fad has died out at Shorecliffs.

Las Palmas Elementary also banned marbles because the game was hard to monitor, Principal Kristen Nelson said. “We are not allowing marbles anymore due to theft and some students trying to sell them,” she said.

But to other schools, the benefits of marbles outweigh the negatives.

“What we have found is that it breaks the race barrier,” said Bernice Ayer Principal Holly Feldt. “Kids are out there having a great time and interacting with everyone, which is a goal we have had for years. All grade levels are playing, even eighth-grade students.

“Though there have been a few disagreements about who won what marble, we really haven’t had any issues,” Feldt added.

Marblehead Elementary School didn’t allow marbles at first, Principal Jacqueline Campbell said, but after coming up with guidelines, the school with “marble” in its name now allows the game. She said the benefits include more socialization at recess.

At Concordia Elementary School, Principal Dave Gerhard banned marbles for first through third grades because a lot of students were upset when they lost their marbles while playing. But the school allows fourth- and fifth-graders to play and regulates the games.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.